Nearly half of all crimes in Scotland are motor vehicle offences

The latest statistical bulletin released on the 24th September revealed that motor vehicle offences accounted for 47 per cent of all offences recorded in Scotland during 2018/19. Despite this, there has been an eight per cent drop in the number of motor vehicle offences recorded since 2017/18 – from 127,015 to 117,015. These figures are also down 60 per cent from data recorded in 2013/14.

The majority of crimes in Scotland have continued to fall in the last decade, with the total number of recorded crimes down 27 per cent since 2009/10. While there has been an annual increase of one per cent - from 244,504 offences in 2017/18 to 246,480 in 2018/19 - the recording of crime remains at one of the lowest levels seen since 1974.

Speeding offences down 67% compared with 5 years ago

Of all the recorded motor vehicles crimes in 2018/19, unlawful use of a vehicle – which covers offences such as driving while disqualified and driving without insurance – accounted for the largest category, totalling 31 per cent of all offences in this group. This was a 16 per cent drop from figures the previous year (from 42,781 recorded offences to 36,848). During this period, 26 local authorities across Scotland recorded a drop in unlawful use of vehicle offences.

Twenty-three per cent of all recorded motor vehicle crimes were reported as speeding offences during 2018/19. This was a six per cent drop from the previous year – from 29,223 to 27,368 – and a 67 per cent drop from 2013/14’s data. More than half of all local authorities reported a decrease in speeding offences between 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Careless and dangerous driving made up less than 10 per cent of all recorded motor vehicle offences in Scotland, the latest data reveals. While this was a two per cent increase from the previous year (10,722 offences to 10,989), it was five per cent down on the total number recorded in 2009/10. Fifteen local authorities experienced an annual decrease in recorded careless and dangerous driving offences.

Five per cent of all motor vehicle offences were recorded as driving under the influence. This was a slight change year-on-year – from 5,863 to 5,847 – but a 31 per cent drop since 2009/10. Half of local authorities recorded a decline in this category between 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Mobile phone offences accounted for just two per cent of motor vehicle crimes; a drop of nine per cent on the previous year and an overall decrease of 92 per cent since 2013/14. Three-quarters of all local authority areas reported a drop in mobile phone offence between 2017/18 and 2018/19,

Seat belt offences also made up two per cent of all motor vehicle offences in 2018/19 at 2,921 offences; a seven per cent decrease on the previous year (3,134) and a 92 per cent drop from figures reported in 2013/14.

The national rate of recorded motor vehicle offences decreased from 234 per 10,000 population in 2017/18 to 215 per 10,000 in 2018/19. While this rate varied by local authority area, the highest rate was recorded in Dumfries & Galloway (545 per 10,000), and the lowest was found in East Dunbartonshire (72 per 10,000).

Other findings from the report

Non-sexual crimes of violence in Scotland are up 10 per cent compared with the previous year; from 7,251 offences to 8,008. However, the latest figures show a 29 per cent decrease from those recorded in 2009/10.

Sexual crimes increased by eight per cent from data reported in 2017/18 – from 12,487 to 13,547 – and jumped 108 per cent compared with a decade ago. Reports of rape and attempted rape are also up eight per cent since 2017/18 and increased 115 per cent compared with figures from 2010/11. As a whole, the recording of sexual offences is at the highest level since comparable statistics began in 1971.

The number of recorded crimes of dishonesty has remained almost unchanged from the previous year, increasing less than one per cent from 114,474 crimes to 114,506.

Between 2017/18 and 2018/19, an increase of six per cent was recorded for offences labelled as Other Crimes; from 58,970 offences to 62,422. According to the figures, Other crimes accounted for one-quarter of all offences recorded throughout Scotland. Within this category, drug crimes accounted for 56 per cent of its total, while 30 per cent of all Other Crimes was categorised as offences against public justice.

There has been a year-on-year decrease in the number of miscellaneous offences recorded by police, from 137,012 to 130,686. Within this category group, common assault and breach of the peace were the biggest contributors, at 44 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.